As Mr Singh went to remove the rod from the machine, the metal retaining end cap and plastic rod were forcibly ejected, hitting Mr Singh in the chest at an estimated speed of 81mph, with a force of up to eight tonnes.

Nylacast Limited, of Thurmaston Boulevard, Leicester, which manufactures plastic products for the construction and offshore industries, was fined £293,000 and also ordered to pay more than £10,000 in costs.

The company had pleaded guilty to two breaches of health and safety regulations at an earlier hearing in Leicester and was today fined at a hearing at Northampton Magistrates Court.

The company’s statement in full

"Nylacast deeply regrets the incident which occurred in April, 2016 and wishes to reiterate its sincerest condolences to the family of Tarsem Singh.

“Nylacast has co-operated with the HSE throughout the investigation and has pleaded guilty at the first opportunity to help minimise the impact of the court proceedings with the family members.

“Safety is always our number one priority, and as we do with any incident or observation, our practices and protocols have been and are continually reviewed to ensure the well-being of our colleagues.

Mr Singh had worked at the Nylacast factory in Thurmaston Boulevard for 16 years (Image: Mike Sewell)

“Nylacast has created over 100 jobs in the past year alone and now employs over 530 people worldwide. Ensuring the safety of our team is our number one priority.

Read More

“We continually strive to improve the safety results of operations by reducing physical risk through the design and innovation of process, equipment and work areas, applying high standards of safety performance each day.

“We continue to develop multiple physical and mental health, safety and wellbeing programs across all worldwide sites. Each of these programs apply to everyone working in our facilities - full time, part time, seasonal and temporary.

Read More

“While any serious incident is one too many, we learn and improve our processes, working to prevent future incidents. With over 50 years in manufacturing, we are proud of our safety record and the hundreds of Nylacast colleagues who work hard every day innovating ways to make it even better.”